Marathon Man: Penn Alum Mike Cassidy qualifies for Olympic Trials

You can add one more to the list of Quakers competing in the various U.S. Olympic Trials.

Last Sunday, Mike Cassidy, a Penn alum from 2007 and a former track and cross country member, finished 11th on Sunday at the California International Marathon to qualify for the U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials.

The 26-year old Cassidy, who races for Greater Racing New York, finished the 26.2 mile course in 2 hours, 18 minutes, 52 seconds, just eight seconds under the 2:19 cutoff mark. He will join 150 marathoners from around the country on Jan. 14 in Houston with the top three finishers moving on to London 2012.

Cassidy had a rather unremarkable college career with his most notable race a 30th place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 2005 Penn Relays. However his results in marathons don't lie. He is now one of the top road racers in the country and will look to run in the 2:12-2:14 range in six weeks time.

He will join current Penn swimmer Shelby Fortin and current assitant wrestling coach Matt Valenti who are also competing for spots on the U.S. Olympic Swimming and Wrestling teams, respectively.